West Africa's greatest river, taking a strange boomerang path through the edge of the Sahara.
Length
4,180 km
Source
Guinea Highlands
Mouth
Gulf of Guinea (Niger Delta)
Continent
Africa
Countries
Guinea, Mali, Niger & Nigeria
Did you know?
The Niger runs away from the sea into the desert before turning sharply back — a puzzle that baffled geographers for centuries.
Little-known fact
Its 'inland delta' in Mali is a huge seasonal wetland, and the fabled city of Timbuktu grew up on its northern bend.
Highlights
- West Africa's greatest river
- Takes a boomerang path into the Sahara
- Flows past fabled Timbuktu
Life in the Niger
The fish and animals, waterbirds and water plants — including some of the rarest — that this water supports.
Animals & fish
Hippopotamus
Africa’s river giant spends its days submerged and is, pound for pound, among the continent’s most dangerous animals.
Nile crocodile
Africa’s largest crocodile and a patient ambush hunter little changed since the age of dinosaurs.
Nile perch
One of the largest freshwater fish, growing to 2 m; introduced to Lake Victoria with devastating results.
Waterbirds
African fish eagle
The ringing call of this black-white-and-chestnut raptor is the iconic “voice of Africa” by the water.
Water plants & reeds
Papyrus
The towering reed of the Nile that the ancient Egyptians turned into the world’s first paper.
Water hyacinth
A beautiful but notorious free-floating weed that can choke entire waterways in a matter of weeks.
Interactive · 3D journey
Journey of a river · source → sea
Every river runs the same great journey — from an icy mountain spring, down through gorges and looping meanders, to a wide delta where it meets the sea. Tap a stage to follow the water downstream.
Tip: hover to tilt the valley · tap a stage to float downstream
The Source
Every river begins high up — in a mountain spring, a melting glacier or a boggy upland. The water is cold, clear and fast, tumbling down the steepest ground of its whole journey.
Landforms here